


On The House

by TheSunsShadow



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anger, Angst, Drama, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Physical Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-13
Updated: 2017-02-11
Packaged: 2018-08-14 20:24:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8027779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSunsShadow/pseuds/TheSunsShadow
Summary: Bucky never really thought anything good would happen after his ex, Thor. However, fate proved that logic wrong when Steve walked into his life, looking amazing and perhaps saving him from a rapist.





	1. Meeting him

The last thing Bucky needed was another busy day at the coffee shop. Sure, busy days meant more cash, but still, the brunet-haired young man could only take so many busy days. He sighed, his shoulders slumped. He served his next customer with a fake smile and a knowing glance. Like it would make any difference – the idiots that entered his shop were more perverse than a horny fifteen-year-old. He was hit on by every third guy he served. As if that wasn’t enough torture, some of them even went as far as to shamelessly stare (read: undressing him with their eyes) at the bottom of his shirt – it kept moving upwards so that his slightly tan skin was revealed, hence revealing the intricate ankh-butterfly tattoo that surrounded his belly-button and disappeared down his pants. Really, what was he thinking when he agreed to take over from his previous boss, Mr. Smith? Or, what the heck was he thinking when he got that tattoo?! Was this some form of sadistic punishment for his unintentionally bad actions?

The more the brunet-haired young man thought about it, the more he sided with the fact that perhaps he shouldn’t have had that tattoo start at his belly-button, swirl around it and disappear underneath his pants. Nor should he have had the infinity sign tattooed just above his butt crack. Now every time he be bent over or crouched, and if his shirt was too tight, he was allowing those perverted idiots got a nice look at his body. Well, he could always just not do his laundry at his apartment building since his shirts kept shrinking. Or he could just buy shirts a size bigger … okay, perhaps that was a bit too much. Sighing again, he took a seat at the cash register after wiping the countertop with a wet rag and some detergent. He really needed a break. Maybe, just maybe, Scarlet might show him some mercy and lock up for him so he could hit the hay ten minutes earlier.

“No, Bucky.” Came the raven-haired girl’s voice. “I am not closing up shop just so you can sleep in.”

As was expected. “I hate the way you take one look at me and read me like a book,”

“Call it a gift,” the raven-haired girl said, flicking his forehead. “I wonder where my dear brother is. He seems to be taking forever with his delivery.”

“That’s because he’s delivering a chocolate latté to that girl from the comic book store he likes so much,” Bucky answered, handing a customer their change with a smile. “You know, that blonde girl from Sam’s store.”

“But that’s, like, _in_ the mall.” Scarlet said, groaning.

“He, nor I, say anything when you take forever to deliver coffee to that hottie from the bookstore next door.” Bucky quipped.

Scarlet blushed. “Whatever,”

The pair sighed simultaneously, while watching the customers who had paid leave the store. The store wasn’t very big – a few booths on the side, circular tables and such in the rest of the room, equidistant, no doubt. The floors were white, the tables, chairs and booths maroon-brown. The cash up area was at the back of the store. Orders were on the electronic displays above the cash register, and some of them on the countertop. Then, there were the backrooms where breaks were taken and such. Bucky had made sure to revamp the place from its old, dull look and brightened it up with a new paintjob and flooring. Also, the large clear windows at the front of the stores were replaced with translucent ones and the store name stuck onto it – Snowflake’s Coffee Shop. In Bucky’s opinion, it gave the place a better feel. The fluorescent lights were replaced with slightly dimmer ones.

“Hey there, hotness,” someone said. When Bucky looked up, he saw one of the customers standing there. The guy was wearing a blue denim jacket, a white tee and a pair of black jeans. His hair was black and his eyes green. “Say, what can I do to get a little … _service_ around here?”

The way the man said service, Bucky understood that the guy didn’t want any coffee or a snack. He simply wanted Bucky to be his next fuck. It couldn’t be Scarlet because she was in the back, getting some rest. Then, he noticed that the rest of the customers had already left – when did that happen?

“We do not offer sex for more money here at Snowflake’s Coffee Shop, sir,” Bucky said firmly, puffing out his chest and standing taller. “Now, if that’s all, I would very much like it if you left my –”

The man was quick. He reached over the countertop and grabbed Bucky by his hair – curse the long hair that he had decided to grow. Letting out a grunt, Bucky grabbed the man’s hand and pressed down with his nails into the man’s wrist making him loosen his hold. When the man stepped back, Bucky noticed that the skin on the man’s wrist was broken and he was now bleeding. Bucky grabbed a rubber band from underneath the countertop and immediately tied his hair. When the man growled, and rushed forward trying to grab Bucky by the throat. Bucky did the only logical thing he could think of – he smacked the man across his face, hard enough to leave a mark. He stumbled backwards, grunting. Scarlet had come out from the back to check on what was going on and she gasped.

“You little bitch,” The man spat. “You’re gonna pay for that,”

He was just about rush forward when suddenly, a look of pain overcame his features and he fell to the floor, his head thudding. Bucky’s gaze immediately fell onto the man behind his attacker. The guy was slightly taller than him, maybe six foot two? He was very muscular – as defined by the _very_ tight gray T-shirt he was wearing. His lips were full and pink, his eyes blue yet they seemed darker than they should have been, somehow. His hair was blond and he was wearing a blue denim jeans and a pair of Nike sneakers. In short, he was so fucking sexy, Bucky had difficulty breathing.

“Are you alright?” he asked, his voice crisp, deep and oh so commanding. So much so, that Bucky wanted to faint into the guy’s arms.

“Uh …” was about all Bucky could say. Thankfully, Scarlet cut in.

“Hey, there,” She said smoothly. “I’m Scarlet. Yeah, we’re fine. I think my boss is a just a bit shocked – I doubt anything like that has ever happened to him,”

“Um, yeah,” Bucky said, relinquishing his shocked stupor. “Thanks,”

The man smiled – a beautiful sight, really. “Well, as long as you’re okay. I’m Steve, by the way. Steve Rogers. Just moved into the mall. I’m the manager of the new Starbucks that’s opening for business tomorrow.”

“Oh,” Bucky said, not even caring that it meant his business might suffer from the new competition. “I’m, uh, James. James Buchanan Barnes. Friends call me Bucky,”

“Well, Bucky, Scarlet,” Steve said, “it was nice meeting you both. Actually, I just came here to order a latté.”

“Sure!” Bucky said a little too enthusiastically. Ten minutes later, a few more punches and lot of chatting, Steve’s drink was ready.

“Here,” the brown-haired man said, handing the cup to Steve.

“Thanks. How much do I owe you?” he asked politely, bringing out his wallet from his jeans pocket.

“Uh, nothing,” Bucky said a little too quickly. “It’s on the house.”

He could hear Scarlet snicker from behind him. Steve smiled. “If you’re sure,”

Bucky nodded, a little too excitedly. “It’s the least I could do for you,”

Steve looked at the man on the floor. Bucky was fighting the moan that threatened to leave his lips – what kind of miracle was this guy? It was not fair that this guy was so hot! Bucky had so much of trouble just looking at the perfection of Steve’s jawline, face, lips, eyes and everything else he could see. Honestly, Bucky should have just fainted and maybe he would have been in Steve’s strong arms already. Stop that, Bucky chided himself. The guy was probably straighter than a pole.

“Well, he won’t be bothering anyone, now will he?” Steve said darkly.

“Um, yeah,” Scarlet said. “I’m gonna go, Bucky. I texted John – he said he’s sorry and that he’ll be at work a half hour early tomorrow. Bye!” she rushed out of the store quicker than she usually would have.

“Scarlet reminds me of one of the employees at my store – Wanda.” Steve said, a slight smile on his face. The guy grabbed a stool and sat at the countertop. Resting his arms on the it, he looked at Bucky. “So, have you been here long? In the mall, I mean,”

Bucky blushed at the proximity of Steve’s closeness. “Um, yeah. The store was owned by Mr. Smith. When he decided to retire, he said that he wanted me to take over for him. I was his waiter, you see.”

“Ah. Well, that was kind of him,” Steve commented. “Besides, I’m sure he made a good choice,”

Bucky blushed and looked down at his nails. Come to think of it, they weren’t very far from Steve’s hands. “Yeah. I miss him, though. He was really nice and friendly,”

Steve smiled. Bucky was seriously going to strangle Scarlet for leaving him all alone with such a hunk. The brown-haired young man couldn’t help but feel really flustered and uncomfortable since it was hard not to moan while Steve was in the room.

“Well, you need to lock up,” Steve said, rising from his seat. “I’ll just dump this guy near the police station and thanks again for the latté,”

“Oh,” Bucky said softly. “Okay, then. Thanks for stepping in … goodbye, I guess?”

Steve thought for a moment. Then he took his seat again. “Well, it’s only goodbye unless we’re both sure that we are done conversing. Are we done conversing, Bucky?”

Bucky blushed profusely. Steve chuckled. “Shut up, Steve.”

Steve burst into light laughter. “I’m sorry. It’s just that you get flustered so easily and it’s easy to make you blush as well,”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “It’s kind of easy when you’re as hot as you are, idiot,” Bucky muttered under his breath.

“What was that?” Steve asked, a mischievous grin on his face. 

“Nothing!” Bucky yelled a bit too loudly, his cheeks flushing. “Nothing at all, Steve.”

“If you say so,” Steve said, his grin falling to a nice smile. Steve’s smile was so amazing, that Bucky had ended up just staring at him awkwardly. His lips were so very pink and full, just begging to be kissed. His eyes were such a gorgeous blue, Bucky had a hard time breathing every time he looked into them. Then, the guy’s beautiful blond hair that just added so much more to his personality. Steve struck Bucky as the perfect gentleman who also had a naughtily humorous side. He also struck Bucky as the kind of guy who could probably get anyone to smile and also look cute enough to make one cry. How the heck was someone like Steve even able to exist and also endure the people (read: obsessed ladies) that probably be wanted desperately to be his next fuck. You know, Bucky had just realized that Steve reminded him of the perfectly sculpted marble statues he had seen in some of the museums – the ones from the Roman era. Steve looked like that kind of perfection and that was a very hot and scary thought. Bucky shuddered slightly. Then, he noticed Steve waving his palm in front of his face.

“What’s up with you, Bucky? Or am I that boring?” Steve asked, feigning hurt in his voice.

“Nothing,” Bucky said with an eye roll. “Just thinking.”

“What about?” Steve asked nonchalantly.

“N-nothing!” Bucky said, blushing.

“Yeah, right,” Steve muttered, grinning. “Well, I need to go and you need to lock up.”

Bucky’s smile fell. “Oh,” then, he thought hard. He quickly grabbed a napkin from the countertop and searched around the counter and underneath it for a pen. Scribbling down his number and name, he slid the napkin over to the blond. “Well, here’s my number, then. Call me, text me, or whatever. Although, not too soon. I’ll be with a friend for a little while before I get home. We have had a nightcap planned for a week now.”

Steve smirked as he took the napkin from where Bucky had left it. He stood again and quickly tossed his cup into the trashcan nearby. Grabbing the guy from earlier off of the floor, Steve began dragging his unconscious body with him. When Steve entered the mall, he got the weirdest looks from everyone. Then again, it’s not like a guy dragged around an unconscious person with them in the mall of all places every day. Sighing, Bucky began cleaning up the place. First, he sterilized the countertops with detergent and the tables as well. Next, he did a quick job of sweeping up the store and then mopping out. Anyone passing by might have gotten a pretty good view of the tattoo just above his butt crack. Honestly, Bucky should have never agreed to playing Truth or Dare with Natasha.

Speaking of which, he had to meet as soon as possible because the redhead would probably hunt him down if he was late. After ensuring the place was nice and clean, Bucky began turning the power off on the appliances and the electronic menus above the cash registers and such. Switching off the lights, Bucky grabbed his leather jacket, car keys and wallet before getting out of the little shop and then locked the doors behind him. Sighing contently, he began making his way from Snowflake’s Coffee Shop to Nat’s Mobile.

Natasha and Bucky went way back. They were really good friends in college and they had both decided to open businesses in the local mall. Naturally, they didn’t want to be very far away from each other so they ensured that they also lived near each other. Technically, that was because of Bucky’s abusive ex-boyfriend. Unfortunately, Bucky did not have the greatest taste in men. Even though he came to that conclusion after only dating one person – who abused him – Bucky still thought he had terrible taste. Natasha had tried a lot to convince him that: a) not everyone one in the world was going to be like his ex and b) he needed to start dating again. The redhead had a fiery passion for getting him into the dating pool again. To be honest, Nat was amazing at being Bucky’s friend. When Bucky had first met his ex, the guy swept the brunet off his feet with his humor and uncanny ability to get Bucky anything he wanted. Then, one day, they had been having an argument about John –one of the workers at his shop – because he gave Bucky a hug that was a little too long for his ex’s liking. Quite frankly, Bucky said that it really didn’t concern him and that he would never cheat on someone like his ex because he wasn’t like that. His ex then slapped him. Bucky never forgot that day. And everything when downhill from there.

Naturally, Natasha found out about it and decided to drive all the way to the guy’s penthouse – which was, like, sixteen blocks away from their mall – and beat him up until he begged for mercy. She was seriously scary when she was angry. Especially with that red hair – she might have even scared Steve … okay, maybe not. The guy seemed pretty brave. Bucky smiled at the thought for some reason or the other. Remembering his ex, brought back some very painful memories for Bucky. He was thankful for what Nat did, of course. But there were consequences. She was put under surveillance via the FBI and also charged with assault. In the end, she got off with a restraining order and Bucky decided to get his things together and get his own apartment – which would have been at right now, if not for Natasha’s pre-arranged nightcap. The woman was so adamant that Bucky didn’t dare cancel or raincheck on her. Not ever. She would kill him … or worse. The woman was scary good at getting what she wanted and she didn’t even need to use sex as a medium to get what she wanted – just her idle threats.

Sighing, Bucky decided to pay more attention to where he was going. It was then that he noticed the strange looks that he had been getting from most people that he had walked past. It dawned on him that if a guy with long hair, a clean shave and also long hair that was tied into a ponytail would have probably gotten stared at a lot. Bucky laughed to himself slightly. Maybe he should consider a haircut. After walking by a few restaurants, clothing stores and gift shops, Bucky finally reached Nat’s Mobile. The store was pretty cool. It generally dealt with consultations, repairs of mobile electronic devices and such. There were four countertops each dealing with a specific range of electronic devices. The entire place was white and a few posters were up on the wall promoting the latest releases in smartphones and such. The cashing up area was a ring in the middle of the room and the floor was tiled with white tiles that seemingly got really dirty really quickly. Thinking back, Bucky had generally got help from Nat with everything technology-related. Heck, he even got his smartphone from Nat!

Walking in, Bucky strode over to the redhead who was bent over the countertop that assisted people with smartphones. Natasha was pretty good-looking. She had full, pink lips, daring brown eyes, amazing skin-complexion and a figure that drove men crazy. Today, she wore a black, cropped leather jacket, a crisp white tee, deep, blue denim skinny jeans and a pair of brown, suede ankle-length jeans. she was smiling was smiling while she looked down at what she was doing.

“Hey there, Buck,” she said with her husky voice. “Gonna close up soon. Gimme a few minutes.”

 Bucky smiled and rested his hands on the counter. Suddenly, his phone went off and Bucky reached to grab it from his pocket. It was a text message from Steve.

 **Steve:** Hey there, Bucky. How ya doin’?

 **Bucky:** *eye roll* Dude, you just saw me.

 **Steve:** I know, shut up. Be happy I’m texting you.

 **Bucky:** Oh, I’m SO happy you texted me. Really, I can’t contain myself.

 **Steve:** Sarcasm. It’s cute. I like.

 **Bucky:** As if. So, what are you up to?

 **Steve:** Nothing much. Just getting some Thai food before I go home. You?

 **Bucky:** Waiting on Nat. Nightcap, remember?

 **Steve:** Oh, yeah. Well, if you get too drunk and don’t know what to do with yourself, just call me. ;)

 **Bucky:** Whatever. Gotta go.

 **Steve:** Text you later, lil’ sarcastic cutie.

“What’s got you smiling so hard?” Natasha asked, startling the brunet. “Your face looks like it might split it two.”

“N-nothing!” Bucky said, a blush dusting his cheeks.

Natasha grinned. “Who are you texting? Is it a pretty blond, blue eyes and pink lips begging to be kissed?”

Bucky rolled his eyes at her. How did she know these things? “You know Steve?”

“Came over here, asking around,” Nat said. “He asked for a good coffee spot. Suggested your place.”

“Gee, thanks,” Bucky mumbled. “Well, we should get going to your apartment.”

“Yeah, let me get my keys,” Nat said as she made her way to the back of the store.

Bucky sighed. The nightcap was going to be the death of him because Nat was so going to make sure she found out everything. The woman was a crackhead for detail. Bucky silently prayed for strength.

 

* * *

 

 

After a grueling session of torture with Natasha, Bucky finally got home to his apartment he loved his apartment, really. With the open-plan kitchen that led to the lounge, dining-room and Bucky’s workout space, it was amazing. In fact, he also fell in love with the color-scheme. The walls ranged from various shades of grey to black as did the tiling, carpets and furniture. Bucky really liked his dark colors. Heck, even his bedroom was a mixture of grey walls, black sheets and grey carpeting. Even the curtains and blinds were grey or black! Bucky really did like his dark colors.

The brunet threw himself onto the couch near the television set. He sighed into the material. He was pretty lucky to have to start work at nine a.m. and finish at four p.m. However, on busy days, he closed up shop at six p.m. However, today he only got home at eight p.m. because Nat simply loved torturing him.

Getting off of the couch, Bucky decided to take a quick shower. That desire quickly died when the warm water hit his skin and began to soothe his tired muscles. Bucky felt so relaxed, that he didn’t even want to leave the confines of such an amazing experience with warm water and soap. After about what seemed like a relaxing eternity, Bucky slipped out of the shower and toweled himself off. He slipped on a white tee and a pair of black boxers. The tee was pretty big so it looked like Bucky didn’t have on any boxers at all. Not like he cared, though. Then, he tied his hair into a messy bun.

Deciding to watch a movie, the brunet opted for making lots of cheddar-flavored microwave popcorn and extremely rich and sweet hot chocolate. After a few minutes of indecisiveness, Bucky opted to watch the remake of _Cinderella_. It was pretty good, in Bucky’s opinion. Aside from the irritating English accents, it was a pretty enjoyable more. When the movie got to the part when Cinderella’s mother fell ill and told her daughter to, “Have courage and be kind,” Bucky’s phone went off. Pausing the movie, Bucky grabbed it to check the notifications. He had received a text from Steve.

 **Steve:** Hey again. :) I’m bored.

 **Bucky:** It’s cool. So am I. In fact, I’m watching Cinderella.

 **Steve:** The remake or the original?

 **Bucky:** … the remake.

 **Steve:** BOO! The remake sucks! Honestly, the original is so much better because so many elements are missing in the original. To be honest, though, I’m watching The Vampire Diaries.

 **Bucky:** *LE GASP* That stupid show about that girl who can’t decide who she wants to fuck? No, my child. Supernatural is the way. :D

 **Steve:** Do. Not. Insult my Elena. She is my /bae/!

 **Bucky:** Lol, whatever. It is a stupid show, though. Honestly, I would probably fuck both Stefan and Damon, though. Stefan is too good and evil is just soooo sexy. So, Damon is hotter. ;) However, I still stand by my claim that Supernatural is the way.

 **Steve:** Well, that’s your opinion, even if it is an idiotic one.

 **Bucky:** Hey! No fair. BESIDES, at least the guys on TVD are hot enough to want to fuck.

 **Steve:** Lol. Wait, did you just tell me that you’re gay?

 **Bucky:** Um, not really? I didn’t think that mattered much. Wait, why are you asking?

 **Steve:** Oh, just curious is all. Well, I need to go now. See you tomorrow, J

 **Bucky:** Yeah. Good luck with the opening of Starbucks! G’night. Dream of Elena tonight. I’ll probably dream of Damon and SAM AND DEAN!!!!!!! *squeals* YAY!

 **Steve:** Aw, so cute. Good night, Bucky. My lil’ cutie. ;)

 **Bucky:** I am not little. And I am most certainly NOT cute! I am darkness. I am evil. Fear me. Good night.

 **Steve:** Lol, good night. :p :D

Chuckling, Bucky set his phone down on the couch he was resting on and continued with his movie. After tossing a few kernels of popcorn into his mouth, the brunet downed some hot chocolate. Sighing, he continued with the movie. He was at the part where Cinderella’s fairy-godmother popped into existence when his eyes became heavy. Switching the movie off, Bucky decided to hit the hay.

 

* * *

 

 

The next morning, Bucky got up to the unpleasant alarm that came from his phone almost every day. Grumbling, Bucky got up to silence it. After a good few minutes of slouching on his bed and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, the brunet finally got into the shower. After lathering soap onto his body and dousing his hair in the pomegranate-scented shampoo Nat had gotten him, Bucky turned on the water so that it sprayed down hard on his muscles, relaxing them. After a few more minutes, the brunet made his way over to his closet to pick out something to wear to work while he toweled off his body and hair. After a long time of searching, Bucky decided to settle for his favorite pair of black skinny jeans, a white tee that had a large, black ankh on the front and a pair of black, ankle-length leather boots. He also grabbed his black leather jacket from the previous day as he made his way over to the kitchen.

It had a central counter, or isle, with a few barstools, cabinets, a microwave, an amazing faucet system and one of the most amazing coffee machines in the world – a Nespresso. Grabbing a pitcher of orange juice from the refrigerator, a banana from the fruit dish on the central counter and some popcorn from last night, Bucky proceeded to scarf down his choice breakfast for the day. Then, his phone went off. It was eight-thirty a.m. and Scarlet had taken the liberty to text him and tell him that they were already at work, ensuring that her brother was in tow. He liked them very much. Scarlet, had red hair – not as bright or glaring as Nat’s, and she had pretty good taste in clothing. She generally wore skinny jeans and amazing tops to work. Her brother, John, on the other hand, didn’t care much for clothes – even though he looked good in a lot of the clothes he wore. The guy had an athletic figure, generally wore casual tees and either jeans or running shorts to work. He still looked amazing, nonetheless.

Bucky sighed. Honestly, his life would be such a mess if he didn’t have those two in his life. Finishing up his breakfast, Bucky slipped on his jacket, put on a messy bun, grabbed his keys and phone and he was on his way to the ground floor of his apartment building. After trying to locate where he parked his car last night, Bucky finally found his black Maserati near the exit. Getting in and starting the car, Bucky began to drive out into the road. After being jammed in traffic for fifteen minutes, the brunet finally made it to the mall. Hurrying to the store, he noticed Steve’s store already bustling with customers. The store was like may he had seen, but it also seemed slightly different with the way in which it was set up. The color-scheme was slightly different from most of the Starbucks stores and the guy seemed to have had more options. Then, he noticed a redhead girl and a blond guy at the counters. He also noted that Sam was in the shop as well as Clint and Bruce. The workers indeed reminded Bucky of Scarlet and John. Those two, Clint and Bruce, were the annoying friends in his life, regulars at his store but also pretty cool. He tried looking for Steve but failed to do so. Sighing, he decided walked past Nat’s and dropped by to say hi and then proceed to his own store, bumping into a lot of people on the way.

Finally, Bucky made his way to the store and walked in, closing the door behind him and leaning on it. Sighing, he noticed Scarlet and John hard at work. When the blond picked his head from taking stock of the remaining coffee he had, he smiled at his boss.

“Hey, boss!” John said, striding over to where Bucky stood. Surprisingly, Bucky was a few inches shorter than the blond – which was really difficult because how could you boss around someone taller than you with ease?

“Don’t ‘hey’ me,” Bucky snapped, taking off his jacket, walking to the back of the store and setting his jacket on the countertop by the cash up area. “What happened yesterday? Did she give you head or did you fuck her into the wall?”

Bucky heard Scarlet snicker. John blushed hard, so Bucky assumed that e at least got a blow job from the girl. “Well, I did say I was sorry,”

“‘Sorry’ won’t save you from my unquenchable wrath next time, idiot,” Bucky said, flicking John’s forehead.

“What? Why?!” John exclaimed, forcing Bucky to back up against the countertop. The idiot even had the audacity to put his hands on either side of Bucky’s waist, on the countertop, and ask the question.

Bucky gave Scarlet an exasperated look. “You didn’t tell him about that idiot from yesterday?”

Scarlet simply shook her head. Dusting off her tank top, she stood up from her seat and brushed some dirt off of her jeans. “He was in a such a good mood yesterday. Figured I should just not say anything and let you tell him,”

Bucky rolled his eyes and smacked John’s hand out of the way so he could get to work. “Well, it doesn’t matter now. Steve took care of it. Anyway, just get back to work. It’s time to open up shop.”

The two immediately tidied up and then opened the store for business. Naturally, they were almost instantly visited by their regulars. Not all of them, though. Bucky realized, after some pondering, that some of his other customers would be over at Steve’s trying out what Starbucks had to offer. Bucky sighed. It’s not like that wasn’t inevitable. Every business would suffer slightly if a new one, similar to it, was opened. It wasn’t like Bucky was going to go out of business, though. After about twenty minutes after the place was opened, it was already filled up with their regulars. Bucky went about cashing up payments and both Scarlet and John took orders. Sighing, Bucky handed another customer their change. After a few minutes, Bucky was surprised to find Tony Stark enter the shop. The guy was the owner of the mall and also a good friend of Bucky’s. He had that usual annoying smirk plastered on his face and that irritating goatee and mustache. Sighing, Bucky smiled at the man as he came up to the, his brown eyes twinkling. He even had to go and dress himself in that annoying suit that made him look like he was professional when, in fact, he was anything but.

“Heya, Buck!” Tony said a little loudly. Grabbing a barstool, the brunet took a seat right in front of Bucky.

“Hey, Tony,” Bucky said. “Usual?”

“Yep!” Tony said with vigor. Bucky began preparing Stark’s favorite drink – hot chocolate, whip cream, a big piece of partially melted chocolate and two marshmallows. The guy was abysmally childish and pretty annoying but Bucky endured him.

“So, what’s this I hear about you being attacked?” Tony asked, resting his hands on the countertop, no undertones of sarcasm or humor in his voice.

“Oh,” Bucky said handing Tony his cup and napkin. “Um, well, this guy wanted sex and attacked me when I said no. Surprisingly, Steve appeared out of nowhere and sorta … saved me, I guess?”

“What?!” Tony shouted. “I didn’t know that he tried to sexually assault you!”

The guy was pretty good as causing a scene because everyone in the shop was staring at them.

“Shh!” Bucky hissed. “I’m unharmed. Just a little shaken up, is all. Don’t worry, though. I think Steve took him to the police station.”

“Well,” Tony said sipping his hot chocolate, “As long you’re okay. Say, do you like the mall’s newbie?”

“Steve?” Bucky asked. “Well, he did save me from a possible rape encounter, so yes. Also, he’s pretty hot. What’s not to like?”

“Uh, I’m straight,” Tony said with a marshmallow in his mouth making him look like a six-year-old. Then, he swallowed. “Well, he’s pretty cool. Had a meeting with him and the others last night. You and Nat were pretty tired and were already off home yesterday, so I didn’t want to disturb you guys. He is, indeed, cool and stuff. Seems pretty promising!”

Bucky smiled. “Yeah, he seems amazing,”

Tony smirked. It was that kind of smirk that said, ‘Ha! I knew I could get it out of you!’ “Well, I need to get back to the office or Pepper will have my head.”

“Bye boss,” Bucky said as Tony stood. the manager brought out his wallet to pay for the hot chocolate. Bucky rolled his eyes. “You _know_ that your drinks are always on the house. Now just go on back to the office,”

Tony raised his hands in mock-surrender, a grin crossing his face. “Fine, fine! I know when I’m not wanted.”

Bucky rolled his eyes as Tony made his way out of the store. The guy was seriously a drama queen sometimes. Hopefully, it was going to be a good day at work. Bucky also hoped that he wasn’t going to be very busy. It was Friday after all and the store only opened at ten a.m. and closed at three p.m. on Saturdays. Maybe he could rope Nat into going with h/pim to that new club on the next street. However, he would have to also drag in Clint, Sam and Bruce– those three were not spending enough of time with Bucky and the brunet made sure he was going to indulge in some dangerous activities.


	2. A little naughty clubbing …

The first thing that Bucky did after closing up shop on that Friday, was head over to Nat’s store to rope her into going with him to check out the new club on the next street. After saying goodbye to John and Scarlet, the brunet swiftly made his way over to the redhead’s store, ignoring anyone who got in his way and shouldering past them. When he walked into the store, Nat was busy with an elderly-looking customer. It was a woman and Nat had been explaining, very slowly and clearly, why the old woman should not repair her extremely old cellphone and just get a smartphone. After what seemed like an eternity, the woman finally left, babbling about how she was set on getting the latest iPhone. Chuckling, Bucky walked up to Nat and rested his arms on her shoulders and his head on hers.

“Hey,” He said, while he watched her type away at her computer.

“Hey,” she replied. “What’s up?”

“Well, I really wanna check out the new club tonight,” Bucky said. “Apparently the DJ’s pretty good and they have good liquor.”

“Hmm,” Nat said. She seemed to be considering the offer. “Will I be the only one going with you?”

Bucky thought for a moment. “Nope. I will be dragging Clint, Sam and Bruce along because we haven’t hung out in a while. Plus, I could get Tony to come.”

“Please, Tony?” Natasha huffed. “The guy is fun, but clubs aren’t exactly his scene.”

“Well, my hot chocolate can convince him?” Bucky reasoned, though it came out more like a question.

“He does have a soft spot for you for some reason too,” Nat commented.

“Duh,” Bucky said. “I have that effect on people,”

Nat rolled her eyes and smacked Bucky between the eyes. “Not everyone has a soft spot for you, idiot. I am living proof,”

Bucky grumbled silently while rubbing the spot Natasha hit him. Then, Nat squealed with delight when she noticed Steve walked into the store, a bright smile on his face. Bucky kind of just stared at the guy. Today, he wore a deep blue button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the collar left sexily unbuttoned, a dark blue, denim jeans and a pair of brown, suede, ankle-length boots. His shirt was amazingly tight, giving Bucky a nice view of the blond’s biceps and pecs. Well, damn. Bucky’s jaw kind of dropped onto Nat’s head while she promptly laughed.

“Hey, you two,” Steve said, resting his arms on the countertop where Nat and Bucky were currently ogling the blond from. Naturally, Natasha spoke first, confident of herself.

“Hey you,” she said. “Say, how was the opening? Good day at work?”

Steve’s smile brightened further. “Yep. It was really busy. But, it was great,”

“Wonderful,” Natasha said.

“Hey, Buck,” Steve said heartily.

Bucky, for no apparent reason, blushed. “Um, hey Steve.”

“Aw, c’mon.” Steve said, smirking. “I thought you would greet me with more enthusiasm after last night!”

Natasha’s jaw dropped as she looked up at Bucky and then back at Steve while Bucky blushed. “Um, we only talked about Cinderella, The Vampire Diaries and Supernatural, dude. I still think SPN rules the world and so does the Cinderella remake, okay?”

Steve chuckled. “Whatever. And stop gaping, Nat. We didn’t have sex,”

“Oh, well, yeah.” Nat said, elbowing said brunet so that he would stand up straight and get his weight off of her. “I would have known if he got laid.”

“Yes, well,” Bucky cut in, “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go interrogate and force my friends to go out with me tonight,”

Nat gasped as Bucky began walking past Steve to the door, a sparkle in her eyes. “Why don’t you join us tonight, Steve?”

Bucky stopped dead in his tracks and turned to glare evilly at Nat. “Wh-what?”

“Oh, it’ll be _so_ fun!” Nat continued, watching Bucky die from containing his anger at her. “Bucky here wanted to check out the new club with me and the guys. You should come. I promise it’ll be fun.”

Steve thought for a minute. “Sure. When do we leave?”

“Right after Bucky convinces Bruce, Sam and Clint,” Nat replied.

Stomping his way over to where the redhead stood, Bucky decided to also throw her in the deep end. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe you should while I make Tony’s hot chocolate!”

“Tony, our boss, Tony?” Steve asked, looking at Bucky.

“The very same,” Nat said. “He has a soft spot for Bucky, here. He probably doesn’t even have to bat an eyelash to get the boss to come. But, I shall convince the guys. You deal with Stark, Bucky. Now, Bucky, get out of my store to get our boss to join us. Oh, and take Steve with you,”

Grumbling to himself, Bucky muttered a goodbye the redhead and some choice words, he turned on his heel and proceeded to exit the store. He was followed by Steve a moment later.

“Hey, wait up,” the blond said, placing a warm hand on Bucky’s shoulder. Honestly, it felt really good.

“Sure,” Bucky said. They had stopped just outside Nat’s store and in the way of the passersby.

“So, you don’t mind my joining you?” Steve asked.

“No,” Bucky said.

“Really?” Steve asked, a smirk on his face. “Because back there you looked like you wanted to kill Nat for inviting me,”

Bucky was silent for a little while. Honestly, he had no issue with Steve joining them at all – the guy was practically sex on legs. The brunet just didn’t want to have to deal with all of this right now. Frankly, he really was genuinely interested in Steve but couldn’t bring himself to want to let himself be around the guy. Bucky honestly didn’t trust himself because he was still unsure about the idea of dating. After his ex, Bucky really didn’t want to have to go through four years of rehab and such again. It was already enough living with Nat’s constant pestering but with someone like Steve around, Bucky might just allow something to happen that he’d regret later and then he’d end up hurting Steve. And he didn’t want to because the guy was just too nice and sweet to the brunet.

“Well,” Bucky said softly, “I do want you to join us. You’re pretty fun to hang around. It’s just that Nat can be overbearing,”

“Oh,” Steve said, sounding a bit hurt. “Well, then maybe I shouldn’t join you?”

Bucky’s jaw dropped. “What?!” Bucky promptly smacked Steve upside the head. The poor blond didn’t see it coming and began soothing his head with his hand while Bucky began glaring at the blond. “I’m not _that_ mean, Steve. Of course you should come! Geez, I thought you’d have a higher opinion of me.”

Steve began laughing a little. “Well, I’ll only come if you promise to have at least one dance with me?”

This time, Bucky’s eyes bulged out of their sockets. He then got really flustered and fumbled with his mouth before answering Steve. “Uh … sure?”

“Great,” Steve said smiling and pocketing his hands. “Oh, you were supposed to convince your boss to join us, Buck.”

Bucky’s eyes flashed at the nickname, but the brunet brought out his phone and dialed his boss’s number. On the fifth ring, Tony’s voice spoke. “Hello, the amazing Tony speaking,”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “Tony, you’re such an ass,”

Tony feigned hurt with a sharp gasp. “You wound me, Bucky,”

“Shut up,” Bucky said blushing. “Now, Nat, the guys and I are checking out the club on the next street tonight. Wanna come?”

Tony was silent for a moment. “What do I get out of it? An unforgettable cup of hot chocolate or perhaps and night that I will never forget?”

Bucky blushed. “I can organize the hot chocolate. As for the unforgettable night, I can’t help you out there. Maybe Pepper would be of more use in that … area.”

Bucky heard Tony chuckled. “That was low, even for you Bucky. But, I shall join you! Just let me know when to be there.”

“Great!” Bucky said. “Maybe in, like, a half hour?”

“Sure, Snow.” Tony said and the line went dead.

Bucky smiled when he looked down at his phone tony was pretty fun and he helped the brunet a lot after his breakup. “Well, the boss is down,” Bucky told Steve.

The blond smiled. “Great. Um, I was wondering …”

“Yes?” Bucky asked, looking up at the blond’s beautiful blue eyes as he began to rub the back of his neck shyly.

“Wanna ride with me?” Steve asked. “I mean, it’s okay if you don’t want to,”

Bucky smiled. “Sure. As long as you’re my ride to work tomorrow morning, I have no qualms,”

Steve grinned goofily. “Great!”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “Yes, well, let’s head to club then?”

“With pleasure,” Steve said eagerly.

 

* * *

 

The first thing Bucky noticed about Steve’s car: it was amazing, awesome and perhaps super-expensive looking. Heck, it was Jaguar for crying out loud!

“Steve?” Bucky asked while he examined the deep blue paintjob.

“Yeah?” the blond said as he walked over to the driver’s side.

“What? How? Why?” Bucky spat out. Actually, that was all he could say.

Steve looked confused for a minute. Then, he smiled and chuckled. “Oh, the car was a gift from my mother before she left to tour Europe last year,”

“Wow,” Bucky said opening the passenger side door – in fact, there were only two doors. “Your family seems incredibly rich. No offence, or anything,”

“None taken,” Steve said. “Well, my mom worked her ass off all her life until she could make life better for us. We started off real poor, you know. She didn’t depend on a man to get her out of the situation, though. That’s why I love and respect her so much,”

Bucky smiled. “She sounds amazing,”

“She is,” Steve said, a sad smile touching crossing his lips. Just like that, the sad smile was gone and replaced with a manic grin. “Shall we get going?”

“Thought you’d never ask,” Bucky said with a grin of his own.

As soon as he got into the car, he noticed that it smelled like Steve – like _Gucci pour Homme_ or something like that. Of course, Steve’s cologne drove Bucky slightly crazy, but he tried to control himself. After a few minutes, Steve reversed out of his parking space and immediately entered the street before a huge firetruck could cut them off. The drive was pretty quick considering it was just a street away from their workplace. Bucky would have probably freshened up a little, if given the time, but he also thought about the fact that if he got a little too tipsy, it would lead to a very sweaty and dirty Bucky. Sighing, Bucky opted for undoing his messy bun and just pulled it into a ponytail. They finally reached the club, the sound of the music making the sidewalk vibrate. The bright, flashing neon sign outside read, “The A Club,” in an impressive font and a few bouncers were outside. There was a long line of people waiting to get into the club: skimpily dressed girls, stoned men and perhaps a few hippies that Bucky didn’t even give a second glance.

The two finally got out of the car and made their way to the entrance. The bouncers took one look at Steve and gave him way. They were about to stop Bucky, who hid behind Steve shyly, but they let him go when the blond told them that Bucky was with him. It made Bucky pretty curious as to whom exactly Steve really was. They didn’t just give clearance to anyone who walked up to a club entrance, right? Bucky got a bit nervous as they passed the entrance to the club and into the actual dancefloor. The place was absolutely huge. The desk jockey was up on a raised on rather high platform hitting the large crowd with some sick beats. To the extreme left of the large room, a bar countertop extended from one end of the room to the other with multiple bartenders. The lighting was blaring and pulsing continuously and the music blasted throughout the entire place. Frankly, it was a cool joint just a little new to Bucky. To the extreme right of the club were the booths and backrooms. Bucky immediately noticed Tony at one them, downing shots of Vodka. He had texted Nat to let her know that she needed to be there with the guys while Steve was driving.

When the blond and brunet duo finally made their way over to Tony, their boss greeted with an overenthusiastic smile, a pat on the back for Steve and a hug for Bucky. “Well, Snow! Finally, I was getting bored without ya,”

Bucky smile. “Oh, you would have survived.”

Tony reassumed his seat with a grin while Bucky slid into the opposite side of the booth followed by Steve and Bucky was seriously enjoying the proximity of his and Steve’s closeness. After a few minutes of a remix of Selena Gomez’s _Same Old Love_ , _Drop That_ from the animated motion picture, _Home_ came on. Immediately, the place had gotten more lively. During this time, the trio were joined by Nat, Clint, Bruce and Sam who Bucky had promptly greeted and hugged.

“Seems pretty cool, Buck,” Sam yelled over the music.

“Yeah,” Bucky yelled back. “I like the vibe.”

After they all ordered their respective drinks from a passing waiter, everyone except Bucky and Steve hit the dancefloor. They were probably going to tell the others when their drinks were ready. However, Bucky didn’t know how more yelling would help anything since one could barely hear anything aside from the blasting music. After a few more non-lyrical songs, Steve decided to speak up after finishing his beer.

“Can I have that dance now?” Steve asked, snaking his arm around Bucky’s waist.

Bucky smiled and nodded. Downing the remainder of his beer, he stood and followed Steve. Well the blond did grab Bucky’s hand and shove past and elbow people out of the way, to get to where Nat and Tony had been working the dancefloor. A fast song came on and Steve let his arms wander around Bucky’s waist, slowly in the case Bucky was suddenly uncomfortable. To be honest, Bucky did not expect that much physical contact from Steve at all. But, Bucky wasn’t complaining. Heck, he might have let the blond’s strong hands wander anywhere else, a little further down even. Slowly, they began dancing to the music. It started off with a little fast-paced swaying and then actual dance moves like Bucky popping his waist a bit, Steve rhythmically moving to the music. Naturally, a favorite song of Bucky’s, Kesha’s _Tik Tok_ , came on and as soon as he heard the first line he put his hands up and began dancing a little more committedly while Steve let his hands wander around Bucky’s body. After a few more fast songs and some perspiration, a slower song came on and some of the clubbers left the dancefloor leaving mostly the couples on it.

Steve took this opportunity to grin. “Didn’t know you could move like that, Buck,”

Bucky chuckled and blushed a bit. “Well, thanks. I also had a really good dance partner, y’know,”

Steve’s eyes sparkled. “Really now?”

“Yep,” Bucky said. Then, one of his favorite slow songs came on – Ed Sheeran’s _Photograph_. Bucky gasped. “Steve, this is one of my favorites. Slow dance with me to it, please?”

Steve smiled and nodded. Taking Bucky’s right hand and snaking a strong arm around the brunet’s waist while Bucky placed his hand on Steve’s broad shoulder, they began slowly moving to the music. If Bucky had been paying attention, he would have seen Nat snap a few pictures of them looking into each other’s eyes and smiling while they moved slowly to the music. Steve pulled Bucky’s a little closer to him and suddenly, Bucky’s breathing picked up slightly, his eyes searching Steve’s for any sign of a coming kiss. Steve just smiled his goofy grin while they moved in a circle. Bucky smiled up at the blond and sighed a little. He had moments like these before, with his ex. But, he decided to focus on Steve. His blue eyes staring down at him, his prefect blond hair looked like gold in the lighting and being up close with the blond allowed Bucky to feel the guy’s amazing bod.

“You know,” Steve said after the second slow song, “A lot of people are staring at us,”

“Let them stare,” Bucky said dreamily, “I don’t care.”

Steve chuckled and shook his head. “Neither do I, Buck,”

They danced a little more until the DJ decided to pick up the pace of the music and more and more people decided to get back onto the dancefloor. After a few more minutes, Bucky decided that he needed to sit down a little, maybe get a drink or something. After elbowing his way through the dancers and such, Bucky made his way to their table to find Tony and Nat looking at some pictures on her phone. When the redhead noticed his, she brightened.

“Bucky!” Nat gushed. “Steve and you look _so_ cute together!”

Bucky smiled. He turned his head slightly to catch sight of the blond getting them their drinks. When Steve noticed Bucky staring, he smirked and gave Bucky a two-finger salute.

“Yeah, Snow,” Tony said, smiling. “Pretty darn cute together,”

Bucky blushed. “Thanks you guys but, we’re not together or anything. You know that. Besides, this may just be an infatuation – nothing more.”

Bucky had not realized the time slip by while he spoke to Nat and Tony because Steve was back with their drinks before the redhead could protest.

“Here, Buck,” Steve said. “Got you the water you wanted,”

Bucky smiled as Steve handed him a glass of water that contained crushed ice, a few slices of lemon, water, obviously and a toothpick umbrella. “Thanks,”

Bucky took a seat across to Tony who smiled at the brunet and nudged his hand slightly. Thankfully, he was not as bad as Nat when she got inquisitive because Bucky would have probably been dead after her interrogation. Steve took the seat next to Bucky and smiled as he took a few sips of his beer.

After a few more minutes, Sam, Clint and Bruce had made their way back to the table a little sweaty and Bucky swore that he noticed a hickey or two on each of them. Naturally, he tried to keep quiet. However, Sam wanted to speak to him, so Bucky leaned across the table slightly to hear what he was saying.

“Hey,” he said, “Not sure if this is of any importance but there’s this dude that has been sitting a few tables away and watching you all night long.”

Bucky smirked when he turned slightly to follow Sam’s gaze until his eyes fell on a familiar face that nearly made him scream for all his worth. Bucky began panicking. It was his ex, he was here. They locked eyes and Bucky wanted to run faster than his legs would ever carry him. Bucky was so shocked that he didn’t realize Nat had been trying to get his attention because Steve wanted to dance some more and refused to dance with anyone else. When Bucky realized that his ex wasn’t planning on leaving the club, Bucky shuddered and tore his gaze away from the blond. Breathing slowly, Bucky stared hard at his water. He could practically feel the guy’s gaze searing into his soul even though he had been a few tables away. Bucky hadn’t even realized Steve and Nat swap seats to sit next to him so that they could figure out what was wrong with him. When Nat asked what was wrong for the sixth time, Bucky picked up his head and said one word:

“Thor,” Bucky said meekly, his oceanic grey eyes like glass.

Nat immediately searched for the blond and she located him just as he began to rise from his seat and head in their general direction. He was dressed in a pair of blue jeans, a black tee and a brownish coat – the one Bucky snuggled in so often when they were dating. His boots seemed to make a deafening sound as he got closer even though the music blared. Bucky began breathing erratically, his hair coming undone from its ponytail because he ran his hand through his hair too much. Bucky’s hair fell over his face just as Thor stopped at their table. Bucky didn’t dare look up as Steve looked at him questioningly, his hand around the brunet’s shoulders, trying to figure out if he was okay or not. Thor’s shadow seemed to fall over Bucky and suddenly Bucky felt like he was falling into an endless pit.

“Wat do you want, Thor?” Bucky heard Nat ask as she stood. “You know you’re not welcomed here,”

Bucky didn’t look, but he could practically feel the glare the blond gave her – it was so similar to the one the blond gave him the night he hurt him. Bucky’s palms were sweaty and he began trembling visibly.

“Bucky,” Thor said in his deep, enchanting voice that only masked the deceit from the rest of the group. Pushing a very distressed Nat out of the way, Thor took a seat next to Bucky. “Bucky,”

When Bucky looked up, he knew Thor had already won. The brunet must have looked so broken to the blond, so much so that Bucky noticed something flash across is eyes.

“What?” Bucky said with as much venom he could muster.

“Now, now,” Thor said grabbing Bucky’s chin and forcing him to look up. “That’s no way to talk to me,”

Bucky struggled against the man’s hold, a little whimper leaving his lips. “You don’t deserve any courtesy or kindness, Thor.”

A grin made its way onto Thor’s face. Bucky reached for anyone near him, so he ended up grabbing Steve’s hand tightly.

“You know,” Tony said in a deathly calm tone, “I really don’t appreciate you fucking up my friend’s night. Do us a favor, blondie, and fuck off will ya?”

Thor’s hand fell from Bucky’s chin who promptly looked at the floor, avoiding Steve’s concerned gaze and Nat’s malicious glare. “Friend?” Thor let out a laugh. “What kind of friend would this pathetic piece of trash make?”

Tony’s eyes visibly darkened. “You should learn to watch what you say, asshole,”

Thot laughed even harder. “You really consider this … _inferior_ person your friend?”

“Well you fucked him a lot,” Tony shot back, downing some Vodka, “So I don’t think you see him as inferior, blondie,”

Thor stopped laughing and gave Tony a glare that made Bucky wince. “What’s it to you, Stark?”

“You know, Thor,” Nat cut in, coming to stand next to the blond and run her hands across the blond’s shoulder. “I could … _assist_ you in some violent activities later like I did once before,”

Thor ran his thumb over his lips, his breath reeking of alcohol. “I don’t think so, bitch. Bucky here will probably take the beating for me,”

Bucky felt a tear trickle down his cheek. Tony and Thor began speaking again and Bucky turned his face to Steve and began to cry into his shirt.

“Buck,” Steve said gently and softly so Thor didn’t hear, “Did this guy hit you or something when he dated you?”

When Bucky looked up and nodded slowly, Steve immediately took action. Grabbing Bucky by the waist, Steve pulled him into his lap and then pushed him onto the other end of the booth. Bucky was so shocked, he didn’t even register what was happening. Steve then proceeded to violently shove Thor out of the booth until the blond fell onto the floor harshly. Steve got out of the booth and glared down at the blond so harshly, Bucky thought it might level the building.

When Thor’s initial shock faded, he stood up, squaring his shoulders. “What, the fuck?”

“Look, asshole,” Steve said in a dangerous tone, “I really don’t appreciate you trying to rile up my friend, here. Do us a favor and leave,”

Bucky was so captivated by Steve’s control over the situation that he was stunned when Thor burst out laughing. Slowly, Bucky rose to join Steve. “How long has this guy been fucking you, babe? What? Two days?”

Bucky made a strangled noise at the back of his throat. His friends had all stood up and joined him and Steve. When Thor realized this, his laughter died down to reveal a menacing glare.

“You think you can keep him from me forever?” Thor boomed. Bucky was surprised that no one had noticed the commotion. “I’ll always be around to fuck with him. I’ll be back for you, Buck,”

With that, Thor took his leave and ensured that he yelled at a few people on the way to his exit. Bucky was suddenly overwhelmed with his emotions of fear and sadness that he almost immediately began sobbing and fell to his knees. The only thing he could remember seeing was Steve’s blurry face and Nat’s fiery hair as they attempted to comfort while he sobbed. Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity, Bucky’s sobbing toned down to a few whimpers and slightly less tears. The brunet was so emotionally drained; he didn’t even have the strength to stand on his own. Instead, he used Nat and Steve for support. He hadn’t even realized that they had been making their way out of the club until the cool night air hit him in the face and blew his hair to one side. Bucky didn’t say much even though Nat spoke to him soothingly while Steve gently stroked his back. They eventually reached the blond’s car and Bucky got into the car, out of Nat’s embrace, when Steve opened the door for him. Nat and Steve spent a few minutes peaking before Steve got into the car.

Steve closed his door and sighed. He looked at Bucky, concern etched into his features. “You okay?”

Bucky breathed slowly, offering a fraction of a nod.

Steve sighed. “I’m sorry that he did what he did. No one deserves that,”

Bucky only nodded slightly absently playing with his hair. When Steve realized that Bucky wasn’t going to say anything else, the blond sighed. Starting his car, he turned the radio on and played some music while he drove. They eventually entered the area that Bucky lived in and the brunet directed the blond with slight gestures. They finally reached Bucky’s apartment building. Switching the car off, Steve took a moment to look at the building while Bucky remained silent, waiting for Steve to unlock the doors.

“I know you don’t wanna talk about it …” Steve began, rubbing the back of his neck, “But I think you should.”

Bucky stared at Steve for a moment, his grey, glasslike eyes boring into Steve’s blue ones. The sight of Steve’s concern made Bucky feel a bit warm in his chest, but didn’t make him feel warm enough to heal the freshly opened wounds.

“I mean, you don’t need to talk to me,” Steve aid quickly. “I know I’m not as close to you as Nat or Tony so I don’t expect you to tell me, but at least tell them or talk to them,”

Bucky continued to stare at Steve for a moment or two. “I know,” Bucky said, his voice raw and thick with emotion. “I loved him so much, you know? We started out really good. He’d smile a lot; he’d hug me a lot, kiss me a lot. But one day when he got back from work, he was mad. He said that he saw John, Scarlet’s older twin brother who also happens to be the other worker at my store, give me a lingering hug. He said that he didn’t like it, but he seemed more pissed about something else. I still don’t know why he was so angry up until today. I told him that John had just wanted to give me a belated birthday hug but he wouldn’t listen. I tried to talk to him to see what he was really angry about, but he just yelled at me and chased me to our room. I sat there, thinking about calling his brother to check if something had happened to a close family member or something but when he entered our bedroom, he was already pissed about something else. It was like his anger knew no bounds that day. He slapped me for being a ‘bad lover’ and our relationship went downhill ever since then,”

Bucky had tears running down his cheeks while he told Steve about Thor. The blond looked at him with so much concern, it made Bucky want to burst into uncontrollable sobs. All he wanted was to just go to his apartment and cry his heart out until he felt a little better. Perhaps he should also pay a visit to Ms. Hill, his therapist, because he didn’t want to suffer a mental relapse – one was enough, he did not need another. Without much warning, Bucky opened his door and began making his way to his apartment, leaving behind and befuddled Steve. The blond called out to him as he got out of his car, cursing when he dropped his keys onto the pavement.

When Bucky was at the entrance of the building, Steve had finally made it to catch up with the brunet. Bucky looked up at him, his blue eyes now boring into his grey ones.

“Could you stay with me tonight?” Bucky asked. “Please? I don’t want to be alone,”

Steve looked at the brunet almost lovingly, and nodded softly. Bucky nodded as well and made his way into the building, followed by closely by Steve. When they got into his apartment, Bucky immediately tossed his phone onto the nearby lampstand without checking any of his notifications and he journeyed to his bedroom. He told Steve that he was going to take a shower and that he also left out a pair of sweatpants, pair of boxers and a large enough tee for the blond since he didn’t get any of his clothes. Bucky had also told him that he didn’t mind loaning him another pair of boxers and a shirt for tomorrow. After a good few minutes, Bucky was done in the shower and said that it was all Steve’s. He also told the blond that there was a spare toothbrush that he could use and after twenty minutes, Bucky was joined by Steve on the sofa in front of the television.

Bucky sighed. He didn’t even register how good Steve looked in tight(ter) clothes than usual when he took a seat next to the brunet. After a few minutes of watching TV, Bucky was slightly bored. He looked at Steve who just sat there awkwardly, not knowing what to with himself.

“Thanks,” Bucky decided to say. Steve looked up at the brunet, a small smile on his face, “For this. I know I’m not saying much but, thanks,”

“Sure,” Steve said, shifting a little closer to where Bucky was seated. “Are you okay, though?”

Bucky sighed. He honestly wanted to cry. So, instead, he buried his head in his hands and heaved a sigh. “I don’t know,” Bucky said, his voice muffled by his hands and mangled by a slight sob.

The brunet ended up sobbing anyway, barely able to control himself. Suddenly, he was surrounded with very strong arms and Bucky leaned into Steve’s touch, his tears falling onto Bucky’s – well, now Steve’s – shirt. Bucky’s head fell into the crook of Steve’s neck and he cried some more while the blond gently stroked his back, telling him that everything was going to be okay and that he was stronger than he thought. Bucky just leaned into the blond’s touch until his sobbing became soft whimpers. Bucky had honestly been in a low place. It may have not been as low as when he walked out on Thor, but it was still a low, dark place. It was what Thor used to make him feel like when he hurt him verbally and physically. The brunet just had enough. He didn’t understand what Thor could have possibly wanted nor did he understand what the blond meant when he said that the brunet’s friends couldn’t hide him forever.

Bucky was suddenly scared. He didn’t want to have to encounter Thor again. Sure, with his friends around he didn’t break down as badly as he did so long ago, but now he just felt like he was giving the abusive blond just what he wanted – which was what he didn’t want to do. Sighing slowly, Bucky breathed in Steve’s scent and concentrated on the blond’s soothing strokes and voice telling him that everything would be alright. The brunet’s eyes began to feel heavy and suddenly, he found himself falling in and out of sleep. He still couldn’t believe that he had been using Steve for comfort and, for some reason, the brunet felt extremely bad. It felt like it was never going to end, the thoughts in his mind. They started off as one thing and then spiraled out of control into possibilities that Bucky was downright terrified of. Listening to Steve’s voice a little more and focusing on the comfort of his embrace, Bucky slipped into what felt like endless sleep.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *dodges bricks and other stuff thrown in my direction* Hi there, guys! Sorry for the angst, AND THE SUPER LATE UPDATE, but I thought it would add a cool twist to the story and I know that everything seems rushed at the moment, but I promise you that it isn’t. A lot still needs to happen. Thanks for comments/reviews, faves/kudos and such! I love it when you send me feedback because I really need to know whether this is worth continuing or not … anyway, thanks again! Hopefully, I’ll see you soon with another update!

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note: Hi, there! Well, this is my first Stucky fanfic! Hopefully, you enjoyed it and also please review/comment, favorite/kudo and/or follow! It’ll be pretty good to have some feedback on my first attempt at a Stucky fanfic. Hopefully, I meet the standards that you all have in your head for this kind of fic. Thank you for reading and hopefully I will see you soon! Byeeee! :p ;)


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